The Haunting Past
by WindWitch00
Summary: Kagura is working as an archeologist's assistant searching for the Shikon Jewel she begins to have flashes of memories that are not her own. They only get worse as a business man called Sesshomaru comes around. Can she figure out her past? Kag/Sess UPDATE
1. Yet Another Boring Dig

_A/N_: Okay, here's my newest story! I hope everyone likes it! I know in the Freedom's Will chappie I just posted I was just thinking about this story but I ended up typing the first chapter in the two and half hours since then. Enjoy!

The Haunting Past

Chapter 1

Yet Another Boring Dig

I slowly shaded my eyes against the brilliant sun, wishing I could be anywhere else but here. Doing anything but this certain job. It was only my first week on the job and already I hated it with a burning passion. It was so boring, watching the little squeaky archeologist, Myoga, planning a dig of the supposed resting place of the famous Shikon Jewel.

But really, I couldn't complain all that much. It was a job, something that I needed desperately. It was either this or a job at Wac-Donalds. At least with this job I was getting outside and making more money per hour. It would have helped if I had been at all interested in history during my years of school. As it was, it had been an okay subject, if you counted falling asleep in the class okay. In any case, I would have laughed at anyone who told me that I would have told me a few years I would end up with this job.

The last week had been nothing but planning for Myoga and sending me on errands to buy maps, texts and various other tools which I wasn't sure their uses were. Today we started the dig, with seven workers to help. I was to watch these diggers and make sure that they didn't slack off. The dig site was a meadow that had never been constructed on, for every time something was being built, the workers were scared off, screaming bloody murder. As such, it was rumored to be haunted, which is exactly why Myoga wanted to dig in the certain spot.

"Kagura, will you go and mark a dig zone for the workers?" Myoga squawked at me, throwing a few wooden stakes for markers at me. I caught them swiftly and didn't respond as I stalked into the field, grass tips sweeping at my jean's kneecap. I counted off twenty steps from the edge of the sidewalk and then stuck a stake in the ground. I repeated the process until a octagon of stakes filled the meadow.

"Is there anything else I can do?" I asked Myoga. His eyes swept over the zone and he shook his head. I kept my fake helpful smile on my face. I didn't want to lose this job so I had to act nice, although it was a painstaking effort.

"If you want to go meet Sesshomaru for me, it would be helpful," he informed me. I held back a sigh. Did I want to go meet with one of his many business appointments? No, of course not. However, it wasn't as if I could treat request truly as a request.

"Sure," I fibbed. "Where do I go?" Myoga smiled at me.

"Good job," he said. "Sesshomaru is supposed to meet me at the café nearest to here. Bring the packet that I was working on yesterday with you," I nodded and briskly went to his car and grabbed the manila folder filled with documents I had copied yesterday.

To be honest, I was happy to be getting way from the dig. With any luck, this meeting with this guy would be long so I didn't have to come and sweat watching people dig. I took my time walking down the block to the café. It actually had really good western style breakfast. Maybe I would pick something up for Myoga on my way back, just to get on his good side.

The café was dead when I walked it. I was the only person other than employees in the whole restaurant. The girl at the counter smiled at me in a hopeful way. You could almost hear her say 'Please order something so I don't die of boredom before my shift ends'.

Figuring I had some time to spare since this Sesshomaru obviously wasn't here yet, I went to the counter and ordered a blueberry muffin and a cup of hot tea. From here I sat down at the nearest table and waited.

Twenty minutes later, a woman walked into the café with an egotistical walk. The clothes she wore only accented her curves. She walked right up to me.

"You Myoga's assistant?" she asked. I gave her a flat stare. Even if I was supposed to be nice to her, I wasn't going to deal with her looking down on me. I didn't care who she was or she worked for, if she wasn't going to treat me as an equal, I sure as hell was not going to be nice to her.

"Who's asking?" I inquired. Her responding look was sharper, on the edge of a glare.

"I'm Sesshomaru's assistant, Naomi. Unfortunately, he had _more_ important matters to deal with so he sent me to collect the papers," she said haughtily. I smirked at her.

"So you get to do his dirty work for him, too, huh?" I questioned. "But you actually seem to like it," Her look turned into an all out-glare.

"If you don't mind giving me the papers, I have things to go do," she pressed. I sighed and dug out the folder, handing it to her. She made a small satisfied sound and stalked away. I grinned to myself at her attitude and finished up my cup of tea before collecting my bag and walking out.

On the way back to the dig site, a little antiquity store caught my eye. If I had been a good employee, I would have ignored it and went back to the site and went back after work. But since I wasn't that great of an employee, I went right in, the bell on the door signaling my entrance.

The shop's air was musty and cold, which fit its theme perfectly. An older lady sat behind the counter, eyes sharp as if she was trying not to fall asleep. I began to browse the store, simply looking. An old looking fan caught my eye, stretched out to its full. Oddly enough, it was a too big to be a geisha fan, although that was what the caption said. For some reason, it seemed all too familiar.

I stared at it for a few minutes before flipping over the price tag to see how much it was. I about died when I saw the price. No matter how much every fiber in my being told me to buy this fan, there was no way in hell I could afford it. So I settled for simply touching the wood hilt of the fan, hoping to remember why it was so nostalgic.

_I stood at the entrance of a building, smirking down at what seemed to twenty or more humans, all in a killing stance, although they seemed surprised at my presence. But for some reason, I knew them to be wolf demons, not humans. In a way, I felt disappointed. Whispers began to run through their ranks, the surprise obvious._

"_A woman?" they questioned quietly. Smugness and sarcasm ran through me at their foolishness. _

"_How disappointing," I murmured, just loud enough for them to hear. "Just a lot of small fry," I clutched my fan in my hand tighter, flicking it open. "Dance of Blades!"_

_Blades of Wind flew through the air, slicing some in half, some getting nicked, blood splattering in the air like rain. I smiled to myself, the trap sets itself…_

My hand jerked away, going to my chest in surprise. What the hell was that? I could still see the horror on the faces of wolf demons as they died, still feel the satisfaction of playing with the foolish wolves. I touched my head uncertainly. That was definitely a memory but it wasn't mine, not in any way.

I stared at the fan like I would a poisonous snake. Yet, I had a vague curiosity about it. I still couldn't shake the thought of buying it. It would have to wait for another, however. If I really wanted it, I would have to save up some money or wait for my next paycheck.

When I finally wandered back to the dig site, the workers were already digging into the ground. To my surprise, they were being quite careful, slowly turning up the dirt but not before they had looked through their last shovelful. I quickly found Myoga, standing by and watching silently.

"I gave the papers to his assistant," I told him. He nodded quickly.

"I know. He called me to tell me that he already had them in his hands. Apparently, he caught his assistant as she was leaving and came to the site after he had gone through the papers. He just left a minute or two ago,"

I kept my face calm. Shit, did he realize how much time I had wasted coming back to the site? I had a feeling that if he did, I was about to be fired. But Myoga just grimaced.

"I should have gone to the café. It would have been better if you had dealt with Sesshomaru. I was so scared that he would get our funding cut. But when he saw the dig site he gave me some more funds and ordered me to continue. Isn't that odd?" he asked, face terrified when he mentioned this Sesshomaru person. Maybe I would have to avoid this person if he was this awe inspiring. The last thing I needed was to get in trouble because of my sharp tongue.

In any case, Myoga reached into his wallet and, to my surprise, began to count out some money which he soon forced into my hand.

"Here's your bonus for the good luck," he informed me. I stared at the money but stuffed it in my pocket.

"Thanks," I replied calmly and walked to the workers to begin working. When we had lunch break, I went off and counted the money Myoga had given me, my eyes widening. This was more than I made monthly for my old job. The old fan popped into my head. I would have enough money to buy it. I quickly decided to go back after work and buy it.

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The fan wasn't there anymore. I stared at the spot it formally sat in was clearly outlined in dust. I walked up to the counter.

"There was a fan sitting over there earlier today. What happened to it?" I asked. The old lady stared at me for a minute.

"I'm sorry, sweetie, I sold it this afternoon," she cooed. I growled under my breath. What were the chances?

"Who to?" I demanded. She sighed at me.

"I can't tell you, it's against our policy," she informed me. My lips compressed. Normally I would just let it go but something inside me wouldn't let me.

"Please?" I begged. She shook her head sadly. "It's a matter of importance," I tried to convince her with that.

"I can't just tell you it. I'll tell you it was a rich business man with silver hair but that's the extent of it," I scowled. What was I supposed to say? I got a really weird memory off it that wasn't mine? I knew it wouldn't work so I walked out the store, slamming the door angrily behind me. As I did, I got a small flash of a man standing, his back towards me, silver hair waving in the wind. My hand went to my head as a name came with the image _Sesshomaru_.

_A/N:_ I hope everyone enjoyed the first chapter of The Haunting Past! Please review!


	2. The First Discovery

_A/N:_ Hi! So here is the next chapter! I got a little carried away while writing it so it is kinda long. But I'm sure no one really is going to complain. ; ) Enjoy!

The Haunting Past

Chapter 2

The First Discovery

_I lay on the ground, staring at the shards in my hand wondering what I should do with them. Naraku wasn't able to stop me, couldn't restrict anything about me. But yet, he still held my heart in his hand. All he had to do was squeeze and I would be dead in an instant. _

_What a prickly situation but one I had to escape. If I was to ever have a chance of escaping Naraku, now would be the time to do it. But alone, I would be punished, my resistance crushed. Unless…I could find someone to help me defeat Naraku. Inuyasha and Co were already chasing after me tonight, trying to possibly kill me. I couldn't go ask them, nor Koga. Who else was trying to kill Naraku that I could use?_

_A smile came to my face. Of course, the demon lord Sesshomaru was the only one who could help. It shouldn't be too hard to find him for if he was searching for Naraku, the barrier's leaked scent would be clear. _

"_Yo," I greeted as I landed on the ground in front of the demon lord, ignoring his little imp and human girl. I smirked. "So Sesshomaru, have you come sniffing Naraku's scent too?"_

_He stared at me calmly, his imp telling him something I didn't care about. It was something about me being related to Naraku making Sesshomaru's hand slip down to the sword at his side, Tokijin. "Kagura the Wind Witch isn't it?" he asked. _

_I grinned. So he remembered me. What a surprise. Hope swelled deep within me. If he cared enough to remember my name, perhaps he would care enough to help. "I'm flattered. You remember me," I replied as calm as I could._

My eyes flickered open, the sun blinding me. I rolled over grumbling until I looked at the clock. It read 7:51. Shit, if I didn't hurry I'd be late to work since I had to be there at 8:15. I quickly rolled out of bed, panic taking over.

As I rapidly began to get ready, I thought about my dream. Ever since touching that damn fan in the antiques shop, I'd been bombarded with dreams and random daydreams of things similar. They almost seemed to be memories but they sure as hell weren't mine. Ever since I had touched the fan in the antique shop a month ago they had haunted me.

I threw on a red cami and a pair of jeans, putting my hair into a loose bun. I looked at the clock, hoping to have time for breakfast or something. I only had three minutes before I had to leave. Breakfast would have to wait but I needed to wash my face and brush my teeth before I left, at the bare minimum.

_I slowly pushed myself up, pain in my muscle clear. Damn that Naraku! He had not been happy to learn of my little trip the day before. I was just glad he didn't know about me helping Sesshomaru go to his father's gravesite to try and kill Naraku. My plan had failed, the damn bastard had been hurt but not killed. _

_A bowl of water sat in the corner. I crawled over, grimacing at my expression in my reflection. I splashed it away, using some of the water to wash the dried blood off my face._

I jolted out of the memory, staring at myself in the mirror, face still covered in face wash. I shook my head to clear the last remnants of the daydream and slowly washed off the soap. My gaze turned to my reflection and in my surprise, stepped back, banging my head nastily on the corner of the doorframe.

My eyes had turned red. Not the pupil or anything but the irises. They were usually a light brown. I stared at my reflection again. The eye color didn't change in the least. What the hell was this crap? It had to be my imagination or a fragment of the memories where my eyes were red like this.

I grabbed a jean-jacket on a nearby hook and bolted out the door, avoiding looking at anything with a reflection. By the time I got home tonight, they would be gone. I was sure of it.

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I was late to work by a few minutes. Myoga sat on the workbench, waiting for me. I rushed in.

"I'm so sorry!" I yelped. He just smiled.

"You look like you've had a rough morning," he told me. He stared at my face for a minute. "Did you get a haircut or something?"

I shook my head, panic rising. Had the eye color thing not been a memory or something else? "No," I said firmly. "What do you want me to start with this morning?"

Myoga suddenly grinned. "Oh, yeah. The boys found this a little after you left yesterday. I want you to go show it to Sesshomaru," He dug in his pocket, bringing out a little bag, something jade within it. He set it down in front of me.

I felt my breath catch in fear and surprise. A single earring made of four little spheres of jade sat in front of me. But that was not the bad thing. I recognized the earring as one of the earrings I was always wearing in the memories. How could I be remembering this earring when I had never seen it before in my life and it was easily five hundred years old?

"…take my car," Myoga was saying. I blinked. What had he just said?

"Huh?" I asked. He shook his head.

"I said to go take it to Sesshomaru at his office. Don't give it to his secretary or anything. Only show it to him. His office is on the other side of town, the Tashio building. I want you to take my car," he repeated, a bit irritated. I nodded quickly, grabbing the baggie but very carefully not touching the earring. Who knew what kind of unpleasant memories it would show me. I hesitated.

"Do you want me to show it to the guy who funded us as well?" I asked, hoping so. The more time I got away, the better. Myoga shook his head firmly.

"No, he's not interested in anything but the jewel. Sesshomaru demanded that we show him everything we find as soon as we find it. I don't want to get on his bad side," he stated. I didn't question anymore.

I climbed into Myoga's red jeep and exited the parking lot, hoping I wouldn't get another damn memory while I was driving. My day was already bad enough without getting into an accident, too.

It took me only a few minutes to get to the Tashio building, although it would have taken me at least thirty minutes to walk. Luckily, no memories had risen since I was behind the wheel. I grabbed my purse and the earring quickly, forgetting to grab only the bag, not the earring as well.

_I could feel my earring slowly brushing by my ear as I flew, trying to ignore the pesky demon hornets flying beside me. Go fetch this shard and that shard, Naraku had said. It was pure boredom. I couldn't wait to be free of the bastard._

My hand recoiled, dropping the earring and the bag into the parking lot. I cursed and reached down to pick it up.

"Not you again," Naomi's voice drawled behind me. I grimaced, picking up the bag carefully and shoving it into my purse. I turned to face the evil assistant. "Why are you here?"

"None of your business," I growled back. I wasn't in the mood to deal with this person. "Where's your boss?"

She rolled her eyes. "Why should I tell you? If you have some papers, hand them over. If not, just leave already,"

I smirked. "Like I'm going to let you order me around," I replied and began walking towards the building. I could hear her begin to follow, her heels clattering on the ground with each step.

"What happened to your eyes?" she called after me. I stopped dead. She came over to peer at me. "You get contacts?" she remarked. I glared.

"None of your business," I hissed.

"Whatever you say," she sang. I ignored her and walked into the building. Suddenly I was completely lost. Myoga hadn't told me where to go in the building. But then again, what were annoying assistants good for, if not following.

Naomi stalked past me. "If you don't know where to go, why are you here?" I took off after her, figuring she'd show me the way. Once she got in the elevator, however, she closed it swiftly, sticking her tongue out at me. I could only watch as my way to find Sesshomaru vanished.

"Shit!" There had to be a directory around here somewhere. It would be stupid not to have one in this big of a building. I began to search the floor, to no avail. My temper began to rise. A young girl walked by my path, a kind smile on her face. I ran over to catch her arm.

"Do you know where Sesshomaru's office is?" I asked. Her eyes widened.

"Of course, the CEO's office is always on the top floor," I felt myself choke for a second. He was the CEO of Tashio industries? You had to be kidding me. Why in hells name would someone that rich be interested in a worthless dig site?

The girl looked at me, almost in confusion. "You didn't know he was the CEO?" she inquired. I smiled half-heartily.

"No, I was just a little taken back," I said as evenly as I could. Now I knew why that chicken Myoga had sent me. He didn't want to deal with a high powered CEO that could be angry if we found nothing. I got to be the scapegoat for it.

"Well, good luck with getting to talk to him," she encouraged before leaving me there. I took a deep, calming breath and walked into an elevator. I pressed the top button and crossed my arms, ready to wait. I was going to kill Myoga for this at a later time, when I found another job.

The elevator swung open to Naomi's unpleasant face. She grimaced when she saw me. "You found it, huh?" I smiled evilly and walked past her, resisting the temptation to knock her over with a shoulder push. It would have made my day so much better if I could. But I acted mature for once and stalked into the office she had come out of.

A secretary sat waiting, her face the picture of patience.

"Hi," she bubbled. "Do you need something?" I half-expected her to start telling me her name and blood type. She seemed to be overly-helpful. I walked over to her.

"I'm Myoga's assistant. He sent me to show Sesshomaru something from the dig," I responded dryly. Her lips pursed and she bent over a book at her desk.

"I'm sorry; he doesn't seem to be free at any time today. Perhaps another day?" she suggested sweetly. I held back a groan.

"He doesn't have two free minutes?" I sarcastically inquired. She sighed.

"I'm afraid not," How great. He tells Myoga to show him everything immediately and then when I show up to fulfill his damn orders he doesn't "have any time". What kind of stuck-up asshole did something like that? If he wanted to see the stupid artifact then I'd show it to him if I had to throw it in his arrogant face!

I smiled innocently. "Is he in his office right now?" She frowned.

"Of course, why do you want to know?" Her hand moved towards the phone. I shook my head.

"No reason at all," I replied. I thought about dashing into his office to throw the earring in his face but decided not to. I needed my job enough that I didn't want to get fired. But I did have another idea. The elevator was the only way to get out of the building. I would simply wait for him on a lower level. I touched the button on the elevator to go down.

_I clutched one hand over my chest, trying not to think about the size of the hole within it. I was not about to die without seeing him one more time. I had to see him, if only to convince him with my dying breath to kill Naraku or try to be of some assistance. If not, I would be happy simply seeing his face, one more time. I would die happily if I could._

_He had to be around here somewhere. I had felt his presence when flying to the castle and I doubted he would have traveled very far in the time since. _

_Then I felt it, his aura. But I didn't know how long I could stay conscious. It was simply luck that I hadn't died the instant my chest had been blasted out. But I was certain the damn injury would do me in. It was only time before I did fall unconscious and die. No, I would not faint before seeing him! _

_My feather began to waver in the sky, my body trembling with the effort to stay awake. The effort to even keep myself in the air was taxing. I began to sweat, my body heating up._

_A river came into view and finally I saw him, little girl, dragon and imp following loyally. I felt envious of them in a way, being able to freely follow him where ever he went. My eyes clung to his form for a second. I had seen him. Everything went black, my body calmly accepting the death I knew was surely coming. _

"Are you okay?" the secretary's face was suddenly in mine, worry clear. I blinked, warding away the memories and the unconsciousness that threatened to come with it. My heart's rhythm in my chest was odd for some reason, in addition to being too loud and fast.

I was on the floor of the office in front of the elevator. My head and shoulder began to ache, probably from the impact with the floor. The elevator swung open next to me.

"I'm fine," I snapped, pushing myself up from the floor. My hand went to my head, touching the tender spot in the middle of it. My heart jumped when I felt liquid. I jerked my hand away, expecting to see blood. But it was only sweat.

I ignored the secretary's cries not to get up or leave and stumbled into the elevator. Her lips tightened in annoyance and seemed ready to drag me out. I rapidly shut the door in her face. I didn't need any help. What I did need was for the damn memories to go away. And a stupid thing of aspirin for my shoulder and head, both of which were now aching, thanks to said memories.

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I stumbled getting out of the elevator, almost falling from the migraine that threw my head into chaos. I put a hand to my head. I wished I had never touched the dumb fan. It was giving me so much trouble.

As it was, I sat down in the lobby, a hand to my head. Sesshomaru would have to come through here to get out of the building. I would wait all day, if necessary. It wasn't as if I was doing anything more entertaining at the dig site.

I collapsed into a chair. How was it possible for such a little injury to hurt so damn much? Even having a hole in my chest, erupting miasma hadn't hurt this much. The joy of having my heart had been too much. Put together with the joy of…

My thought train stopped abruptly. I had never had a hole in my chest. What was I thinking? The migraine must have scrambled my brains. None of this made sense.

My gaze dropped to the floor, all thoughts of my mission gone. What the hell was happening to me? I'd rather be serving fries to bratty teenagers. I shouldn't have taken the job as Myoga's assistant.

But it was too late now. I had been working for him for over a month and the other positions would be filled by this time. If only I hadn't touched the fan. It was the cause of everything and had disappeared right after I could have bought it. Maybe if I had bought it, it would have provided me with more answers than this.

"Miss, you should go to a hospital," I looked up into the secretary's face. Oh great, just what I needed. I scoffed.

"I'm fine," I replied. Her face was the picture of worry.

"But you may have a concussion!" she exclaimed. "You should have some check it out,"

She seemed ready to call for an ambulance. I growled softly to myself. If I wasn't careful, she'd probably call Myoga who would freak out on me.

"Look, a bruise never killed anyone. If I was that hurt, I would have fainted by now. And if anything does happen, I'm not going to sue you so leave me alone," I hissed, my patience gone, thanks to my pounding head.

Suddenly she gasped, almost in horror. I held my curiosity in, continuing to gaze at the floor. It seemed to help my head if I didn't raise it up.

"Sesshomaru?" she asked timidly. "Your next appointment isn't for another hour. Why did you come down?" I felt my heart flutter at the name. I tried to slow it. I didn't know this person or even what they looked like so why was my body acting this way? I cursed the fan for the thousandth time.

"This Sesshomaru came down to see the fool who panicked you so," a calm, masculine voice replied. My heart skipped a beat as I recognized it from the memories. What the hell was this? My body jerked my head up without my approval, butterflies in my stomach. I had to see if it was him.

My stomach dropped as I met his eyes, mine widening in surprise. A less obvious form of shock filled his golden eyes. I released my anger at the arrogant man as a last resort, unable to do anything else. My heart sped up in my chest, jolting to a high speed. I had to prevent this somehow.

"I wouldn't have panicked her if you hadn't ordered Myoga to show you everything found at the dig and then blew off all contact. If what we find is so important then why the hell don't you clear some time to look instead of wasting everyone else's time with your arrogance," I spat at him, my head pounding from the anger and the effort of holding it up.

Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed but he did not respond. When he did, it was perfectly impassive. "Did Myoga find something?" he asked. I reached into my purse and pulled out the baggie, carefully not touching the earring. I threw it at him, my temper pulsing in time with my head. One hand caught it, carefully held interest in his eyes.

I stood up and began to walk away. I had shown him the earring and now I was going to leave. If Myoga got mad because I didn't have the earring with me, he would have to get over it. He could pester Sesshomaru to get it back. I just wanted out of there before I was dragged to the hospital or forced to deal with the arrogant man.

Someone caught my arm before I could leave, the grip tighter than I was sure the secretary could manage. I pulled away with all my force. The grip didn't change and I didn't go anywhere. I ground my teeth together and turned to glare at the man who was absentmindedly grabbing my arm.

"I showed you the earring so let go of me! I need to get back to work," I hissed. He didn't even spare me a glance, his gaze fixed on the earring, a thoughtful expression on. Of course, I didn't really need to get back to work but he didn't have to know that. The secretary sighed, almost in relief and walked away. I stared at her back.

Great, now all I had to do was get away from this arrogant oaf and I could get out of going to the hospital.

Sesshomaru's gaze jumped to me instants later. I continued to glare at him with all my might.

"Let go of my arm," I hissed. "I have to go back to work," He simply handed me the earring back. I took it warily, putting it back in my purse. I half-expected him to let go of my arm then. He didn't. His eyes took in my shoulder and head, my shoulder very obviously bruised.

"You're in no condition to be driving," he coldly advised. I pulled away again.

"Why do you care?" I inquired angrily. "I'll be fine," The look he gave me said I was stupid. His free hand reached down into his pocket, pulling out a cell phone. He ignored me completely as he searched through his phone and called someone. For a minute, I worried that it was going to be a hospital.

"Your assistant is causing me problems," he toned into the phone. My eyes narrowed. How dare he call Myoga! For an instant, I thought about slapping him before I decided that it would be more beneficial to do so when he wasn't on the phone with my boss.

"She has injured herself and now thinks it is fit to drive," I heard Myoga's frantic voice on the phone and mentally cursed. I didn't care if it would get me fired, I was going to kill this man. My head pounded in agreement, making me sick. All this standing was not doing me any good. My temper wasn't helping in the least, either. I felt myself sway on my feet.

"I'll take care of it," Sesshomaru replied to Myoga before snapping the phone shut. His gaze flicked down to me. I abruptly ignored the headache, hoping it would help make it disappear.

"You no longer have to go to work. You are to go home and rest," Sesshomaru informed me, his tone suddenly cold. I pulled my arm away. He released it, almost making me fall.

"Great," I replied sarcastically to him and started to stalk away. I heard Sesshomaru's footsteps as he followed me.

"Do not think this Sesshomaru is going to let you drive," he informed me. I scoffed, trying to make sure I walked in a straight line. If he wasn't going to let me drive, I would walk.

"I wasn't even thinking of it," I shot back. "I'm walking home," He made a noise of disapproval. Once I left the building, he grabbed my arm and began to tow me towards the rows of cars.

"What the hell do you think your doing?" I screamed. "Let the hell go of me!" My protests fell on deaf ears. I was shoved into the seat of a fancy-looking car. Sesshomaru towered over me.

"This Sesshomaru is going to drive you home," he told me. I laughed in his face, ignoring the pain. It would be an annoyance to walk but it would be an annoyance well worth it. Having to deal with this jerk would be a thousand times worse, even without having the memories that featured him.

"Yeah right," I told him. "I'd hate to take time out of your busy schedule so goodbye," I stood up, ready to sneak past him. I was shoved back down into the car seat. The look in his eyes cowed me for a second, making him shut the door in my face. Before I could escape, he had entered on the driver's side.

I crossed my arms, still glaring at him. He ignored me, starting the car.

"Put on your seatbelt," he ordered. I didn't move.

"No, I'm not going anywhere with you," I asserted. "I'm capable of taking care of myself," His answering look was murderous.

"This Sesshomaru told Myoga he would help you," he educated me. I rolled my eyes.

"As if I care," I responded. For some reason, my temper began to rise, even though it had no reason to do so at all. But for some reason, I was in a bitter mood, as if he had done something that made his actions now infuriating.

"Be quiet and sit down, witch," he warned. My hands clenched in anger. Words burst out of my mouth without my consent, words that made no sense but yet at the same time, they made all the sense in the world.

"What the hell is your problem?" I screeched. "You help me when I'm just capable of taking care of myself but when I actually need your help you're no where to be found or refusing to help. If this is just some stupid guilt over not helping me then the best thing you can do is leave me alone!" My eyes were wide as I realized what I had just said.

Sesshomaru looked angry when I looked over at him. And in a way, he looked shocked. But not confused, in any way. His anger filled the car, making me suddenly afraid and uncertain. I sunk into the seat with the urge to go and hide. The car was silent, making the tension that much worse.

"Kagura," Sesshomaru broke the silence, his voice an ice storm. "This Sesshomaru told you to put on your seatbelt," I slowly followed his orders, fear deep within me at his obvious anger.

_A/N:_ Hmmmm, I think if you guys infer some things here, you'll realize some things. What they are, you guys get to determine. But I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. Please review and tell me how I did! ^.^


	3. So This Is What Hell Feels Like

_A/N_: Hi! Thank you to everyone who reviewed, I really appreciate it. I'm happy to see how many people are trying to figure out my crazy plotlines.  I hope everyone enjoys this chapter!

The Haunting Past

Chapter 3

So This Is What Hell Feels Like

I crossed my arms stubbornly as I slumped down into the leather of the seat, lips pursing. My head was still pounding but I didn't dare touch my head to try and relieve some of the pain. The car was silent, not even the radio playing. Why was he even taking me home? It wasn't as if anything I did was his responsibility. He was making no sense as all.

"Where do you live?" his voice was anything but warm. I stared out the window, my temper still pulsing.

"In an apartment," I replied. I was sure if I had been facing him, his face would have been annoyed, or at least I hoped it was. Silence packed the air.

"Which apartment building?" he asked, tone the same. I considered telling him some more obvious information. But that could only last so long before he or I grew bored of it. I wasn't in the mood to spend more time than necessary with a stuck-up business man.

"The ones next to the manga shop in the middle of town," I informed him, holding back a sigh and my hand from going to my head. When I got home, I was going to drain down a few aspirin and take a nap. With any luck, the damn headache would disappear at that point. If it didn't, I would be pissed.

Sesshomaru didn't reply, just began to drive to where I recognized the street where my home was. In a way I was happy that he wasn't wasting my time with small talk. The reason behind it did annoy me, along with the arrogance.

"Do you know if Myoga has found anything other than the earring?" I glanced at Sesshomaru. Or maybe he was the type to waste my time with small talk. He didn't even have the decency to look at me.

"If he had, he would have sent me to show it to you," I hissed. His eyes stayed glued to the road.

"Next time something is found, have Myoga call this Sesshomaru," he droned.

"Yeah, whatever. I'll tell him tomorrow," I turned back to the window. Why hadn't he told him to do that in the first place? But then again, that would have been the obvious and non-arrogant way to do things. It wasn't as though we could have that.

The car slid to a stop a few minutes later, my apartment building towering over me in the car. I snatched my purse and stalked out, purposely slamming the door on my way out. It would have probably been best to use some manners and thank him. I didn't really care. Its not like I had even asked him for a ride, he just forced it on me.

Sesshomaru appeared on my other side, acting if he belonged there. I bristled. Did he really think I was so out of my mind that I couldn't even walk up a few flights of stairs by myself? I had a headache, not a splitting injury on my skull.

"I can walk myself up to _my_ apartment," I growled at him. His gaze told me I was a fool.

"This Sesshomaru will not take responsibility if you fall down the stairs and injure yourself more," I scoffed angrily.

"You don't have to! I can take care of myself," I spat at him. "What are you going to do next, decide I'm unable to walk and carry me up the stupid stairs?" The look in his eyes made me think twice. "If you even think about that, I'll beat the crap out of you, high-end business man or not,"

I began to walk faster, hoping to make him trail behind and possibly lose me. He kept up my pace as we walked in the building. He abruptly began to head for the stairs. I walked the opposite way. I always took the elevator.

When I walked into the elevator, he was no where in sight. The door closed with a _ding_. He was still wasn't in sight. I collapsed against the rail inside the elevator. My hand reached to touch my head, which still continued to pound. I applied some pressure, hoping to limit the pain. It simply increased. I gritted my teeth. I hoped an aspirin would knock out all the pain.

I closed my eyes and the elevator rang again to signal I had reached my destination. I stayed in the same spot, just listening to the doors slide open. I walked out, eyes opening, my hand fumbling with my keys until I found the one to my apartment. I began to jam it into the keyhole on my door.

_I sat in a tree, watching the ground carefully. I wasn't afraid of anything but it never hurt to be extra cautious. Kohaku was nowhere to be found, even though I had scourged the entire forest looking for him. I wondered where the kid had gotten to but I wasn't too worried. He seemed okay by himself._

_I almost hoped that he wouldn't meet his sister again. It was a thought I didn't want because that would mean I actually worried about someone else. I couldn't help it, though. The kid was growing on me. After all, he was the only other minion of Naraku who didn't lick Naraku's feet. Even if he wasn't moving against Naraku, it was fine with me. If he was, well, I understood why he would be hiding it. It wasn't as if I wasn't doing the same thing. Neither of us really wanted to die. The only real difference was he had someone who would help him and care if he died._

_I swung out of the tree. I had better go report to Naraku before he grew suspicious. It wasn't as if I could help the fact that no one cared whether I lived or died. That was simply how it was._

The keys dropped out of my hand, hitting the floor with an empty clang. My hand went to clench the doorknob tightly, holding myself up. The memory made my head throb that much worse, enough that it was making my knees buckle. I thought about trying to reach down and grab my keys before I discarded the idea. If I reached the floor, I doubted I would be able to get back up.

A hand snaked underneath me, picking up the keys. I turned my head to glare at Sesshomaru. How had he found me?

"This is why you are unfit to go anywhere by yourself," he chided evenly. I groaned and felt myself sway.

_The air flew by me, whisking my hair around in its force. I tried to pull up my tattered kimono up my chest. It was too cold to be without it. What the hell had Naraku been thinking? How dare he use me to test the dog! I had almost…_

The memory was sliced through midway. Sesshomaru's hand was clenched around my wrist, my body being support up by him. His other hand was turning the key and opening the door. I flinched away, my temper pulsing.

"Let go of me!" I shouted at him. He almost looked confused and released my hand. I fell to the floor. My head continued to pound even worse. I ignored it, forcing myself to stand. I grabbed his hand and yanked out my keys. A tint of anger seemed to fill the business man's eyes.

I strode into my apartment and slammed the door in his face. I managed to walk over the couch before I collapsed, everything going black. My last thought was of the aspirin I should have taken.

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The phone's demanding shriek woke me up. I lazily stood up and looked at the phone. The caller id identified the caller as unknown. It was probably just a telemarketer. I answered it anyways.

"Yeah?" I asked. Myoga's squeaky voice filled the receiver.

"Are you feeling okay? I've been calling for two hours. Sesshomaru said you went into your apartment when you were almost fainting," he asked. I rubbed my eyes. My headache was thankfully gone.

"I'm fine," I growled. "I passed out on my couch," I was probably lucky that I hadn't fell on my head again.

"You need to go to the hospital and get your head checked out," Myoga ordered me. I held back a groan.

"My head is just fine. It doesn't even hurt now," I informed him.

"Sesshomaru said you hit your head pretty hard. It would relieve both of us if you'd go see a doctor," he shot back.

"I don't know why you're so worried. I'll be fine," I said, my annoyance tingeing my tone. I heard some outside noise, as if he was arguing with someone.

"Don't be foolish," Sesshomaru's voice came on the other line. My eyes narrowed and I rapidly hung up the phone. A few minutes later, it began to ring again. I ignored it, turning on the T.V. The call went to the answering machine.

I sighed and sat on my couch, flipping through the channels. No doubt I would be in trouble for doing that but I didn't have the money to go to the hospital. Nor did I want to waste my time getting my head checked out because of a minor fall.

The phone began to ring again. I continued to ignore it. If it wasn't Myoga then if it was important, they would leave a message.

An hour later, I unplugged the phone. It wouldn't stop ringing and it was annoying the hell out of me. I then turned off the T.V. There was nothing on, anyways. Instead, I dug in my purse, bringing out the earring.

I stared at it, thinking. How could I possibly remember this thing? It was too old for me to have seen it before. But I didn't seem to be the only one who recognized it. Sesshomaru had almost seemed to know this earring. The way he was staring at it hinted at familiarity, along with something I didn't recognize in his eyes.

The memories could only last so long before they ran out. If I touched the earring and provoked them, would they end sooner? There was only one way to find out. I took it out of the bag and held in my palm, expecting to be ambushed by a memory. None came. I stared at it in dismay and clutched it tighter. Still nothing.

I threw it on the table in anger. Sure, when I didn't want the stupid memories they came but when I wanted them, they were no where to be found.

I swept into the kitchen and made a quick sandwich for dinner. I glared at the earring the entire time I ate. Maybe if I put it on, it would provoke a memory. I was hesitant to stick it in my ear for fear of infection but I decided to try it anyways.

Nothing happened, once again. I closed my eyes, still hoping for one to come. I opened them. With my luck, it would only work with both earrings instead of just one. I was about to pull the earring out when a knock at the door came.

My lip curled. If that was Myoga or Sesshomaru I was going to kill the both of them. Screw the fact that they acted as my current bosses. They could only interfere with my life while I was working, not after.

I walked to the door and stared out the eyehole. Both annoyances stood in front of my door. I grabbed the doorknob to scream at them, the other hand yanking the earring out of my ear. Neither would be very amused that I was trying on an artifact.

At the same time, bile rose up in my throat, my body suddenly trembling like a volcano ready to burst. I recognized the feeling to puke and rushed to the bathroom. I barely made it to the toilet when my sandwich came back up. Another knock came to the door as I retched. I didn't have to ignore it, my thoughts completely on how gross my mouth tasted.

The knocks continued at the door as I collapsed on the floor, feeling like shit. My head was pounding again. I heard a key turn in the lock and the compression releasing as it opened. How had they gotten a key? Then I remembered that the front desk had one. I honestly didn't care that much, at the moment. My body curled into a ball, shaking again. I was surprised that I had anything left in my stomach.

I heard the footsteps enter the bathroom as I bent over the toilet again, gagging my guts out. When I turned, Sesshomaru was standing in the doorway, expressionless. I groaned and curled back into my ball.

"Do you mind leaving me alone?" I asked him. I heard his footsteps before I was picked up. My eyes widened in anger. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Insuring you see a doctor," he replied calmly and he walked out of the bathroom. Myoga frowned on seeing me.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Does it look like I'm…." The nauseous feeling returned to me before I could finish yelling at him. I promptly threw up all over Sesshomaru. I groaned again, feeling woozy. My eyes closed. Maybe seeing a doctor would be a good thing after all.

_A/N_: Sorry to everyone who has a weak stomach. I tried not to be too descriptive for you guys at the end part. Hmmm, one or two chapters before the main plotline reveals itself. I can't wait. To be honest, it will be easier for me to write the chapters when it does. Not that these chapters aren't important to set the stage. In any case, thanks for reading and please review!


	4. I Wish I Had Just Been Fired

_A/N:_ Hi! Thank you to everyone who reviewed! You made me feel very happy and loved. So I finally finished the new chapter! I'm so happy, the fun plot begins next chapter. Anyways enjoy!

Disclaimer: If I owned Inuyasha, Kagura would have kicked Naraku's butt back to hell where he belongs.

The Haunting Past

Chapter 4

I Wish I Had Just Been Fired…

I scowled at both men as I lay on the couch, chugging down a glass of water. I would have been chugging down a pop, or even better yet, some form of alcoholic beverage but both men had refused. Apparently, 'I shouldn't be drinking such things' in my situation. The only happiness I had at the moment was the clear puke all over Sesshomaru.

Sesshomaru's private doctor was on his way over, which annoyed me to no end. I had just met the irritating bastard for the first time today and yet suddenly I was totally his responsibility. I would have happily gone to the hospital rather than having to deal with both men in _my_ apartment.

I slammed my glass down on the nearest table, turning my temper to just Sesshomaru. "Why don't you just leave? I'm sure you want to change your clothes," I growled at him. He was completely calm, arms crossed in way that spoke of arrogance.

"This Sesshomaru is fine," he told me, a slight bit cold. I rolled my eyes. The stench of the puke was starting to get on my nerves. It was making me sick all over again.

"Then why don't you at least go wash your shirt off in the toilet or something. You smell like shit," I told him. His eyes narrowed oh so slightly. I let my head fall back onto the pillow. The smell was really starting to get to me. "Or you can throw it into the washing machine in the kitchen. I don't care; just get rid of the smell somehow,"

"That will not be necessary," he droned back. I growled in my throat, my stomach upset again, head pounding. This was getting old very fast.

"If you don't get rid of that damn smell, I will puke on you a second time!" He eyed me before walking off.

A knock at the door came instants later. Myoga walked over and opened it. It looked like it was time to get my head examined for no reason at all. Everything was just fine.

The doctor was an elder lady, her hair almost white. She gave me a kind smile as she walked in, brushing past Myoga. I decided she wasn't too bad. I was expecting someone completely different, a stiff guy with no personality, just like Sesshomaru.

"Are you the patient?" she asked me, voice croaking softly. I nodded.

"Unfortunately," I replied. She sat down next the couch, taking my head in her hands. I relaxed, letting her probe my head slowly.

"Sesshomaru already told me of your symptoms. Tell me if anything hurts," the doctor instructed. She continued to probe my head. To my surprise, when she hit the area my head had been bruised before, it didn't hurt in the least. "Anything?" she asked.

"No, I feel fine," I replied. She frowned.

"I was told you hit your head. Even the area where you hit doesn't hurt?" she questioned.

"Not at all," I replied. She seemed confused.

"Where is the area you hit?" she inquired, brushing through my hair. I put one hand on the spot. She ruffled through my hair, exposing the scalp. She gasped in shock. Panic rose up at her reaction. What was wrong? "There's not even a bruise," she explained.

"Are you certain?" Sesshomaru's voice rose from the entrance of the kitchen. The doctor's eyes focused on him behind me, her eyes widening a little bit. I followed her gaze.

Sesshomaru stood, leaning against the wall nearest to the kitchen, shirtless. My eyes narrowed and I looked back at the doctor. Sure, why not take advantage of my generosity and wash his whole freaking outfit.

"Of course," she replied. I heard Sesshomaru walk over to take a look. I smirked but averted my gaze from Sesshomaru.

"Told you I was just fine," I mocked. The doctor frowned again, deep in thought.

"It's funny. Going by your symptoms, I was thinking you had a mild case of shock and possibly a concussion. You had the irritability, nausea, different stages of consciousness for shock and probably a migraine. But now you seem just fine. I can honestly say I don't know what is wrong with you," she informed us, looking at Sesshomaru instead of me. Myoga looked worried.

"Do you think she can go to work just fine?" he asked her. She just stared at Sesshomaru.

My gaze followed hers in suspicion. Sesshomaru was uncomfortably close, leaning up against the couch.

"I think it would be best for her to relax for a few days, to insure that the symptoms don't reoccur. She should be fine if she does light work, however, with supervision," she replied. I rolled my eyes. Reoccurring symptoms? Yeah right. If I didn't even hurt nor have a bruise. Wasn't that supposed to mean I was just fine?

"You may go," Sesshomaru told the doctor. She bowed once and left. I gawked at her. Was she seriously leaving just like that? Did Sesshomaru not even pay her?

Myoga was frowning. "I have some paperwork you could do for this week, but if you aren't able to watch the workers, I have to. That would mean I couldn't keep a watch on you. Perhaps you'll have to simply take the week off,"

My look became one of horror. A whole week off? I didn't have enough paid vacation to cover that and I needed the money to pay rent and get food and stuff.

"I'll be fine with watching the workers!" I quickly interjected. "I don't need to take the week off, I'm feeling just fine," Myoga shook his head.

"I don't want this job to put in danger. I already feel bad enough that you fell like that," he informed me. I was about to protest when Sesshomaru spoke up.

"If you wish for her to do paperwork, there is room at this Sesshomaru's office. She can be watched there," My mouth fell open. Oh hell no! A week at his office sounded like a week in hell. I would have to deal with him, his overly concerned secretary and Naomi.

Myoga smiled. "That would work quite well," he replied. I butted in quickly.

"I think I'll take the week off after all," I told Myoga. He shook his head.

"Nonsense, I won't give it to you," I could only stare at him in horror. Was I seriously going to have to deal with Sesshomaru for an entire week? I had just met the guy and I already hated him and a week dealing with him wasn't going to make my opinion of him improve in the least.

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I stared at the ceiling of my room, watching the shadows shift as cars raced by the apartment. Normally, it would be thoughts that would keep me awake, little thoughts that would flicker by. Lately, it had been the memories and trying to figure them out that kept me awake. Tonight was different. Every minute sound would wake me in an instant.

Maybe it was the nervousness and hate of thinking that I was going to have to deal with the arrogant bastard named Sesshomaru that kept me awake. But for some reason, I knew it not to be that. Something felt wrong, just wrong. It was as if the balance of the world had been thrown off, making everything bad. I didn't like it in the least.

I threw the covers of my body and stood up, walking to the bathroom. I stared at myself in the mirror, at the abnormal red eyes staring back at me. A hint of terror filled them. I shook my head and went back in my bed room. Maybe if I read it would help me sleep.

I grabbed a book off of my shelf and began to read. My attention slipped away in an instant, eyes darting to the full moon filling the window. It looked like a perfect jewel in the sky, like a jewel I had once seen. But yet the jewel I remembered never had the black rim around it such as the moon did tonight.

I shivered automatically, thinking of the terrible things that went with a full moon with the red-gray rim around it. The only thing I could think of was the saying that said when the moon was rimmed, the dead come back to walk again. But it was just a saying. It didn't mean anything.

I threw my book on the floor and crawled back into bed, turning my back to the moon. I closed my eyes and concentrated on sleeping.

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My eyes slid open to the moon's light, goose bumps on my skin. I turned over again, blinding reaching for my blanket. Grass came away from the ground in my hand instead. What the hell? I was suddenly very awake as I sat up.

I was in the middle of the dig, in my pajamas. The moon was directly above me in the sky. How the hell had I gotten here? The last thing I remembered was falling asleep in my bed after tossing and turning for almost an hour. I looked around me, expecting to see some creepo watching me after having dragged me to the dig. Not a soul was around except the fog that was rolling in from the coast.

The scene in front of me was like one from some cheesy horror movie where the hero was trapped in a graveyard with the fog rolling in. All it really need was some fake-looking bodies popping out the ground and some tombstones. It was seriously starting to creep me out.

I wrapped my arms around myself and stood. Whoever's stupid sick joke this was, I was leaving it behind. I had to report to Sesshomaru's office tomorrow at "6:45 sharp", no matter how ungodly of a time it was. I began to wish I had some blunt object to bash someone's brains out with, just for protection.

I tried my best to ignore the odd feelings and began walking towards my house. I was going home to sleep and that was that. I would have to think about how I had gotten to the dig site later.

My legs froze, the second before I hit the sidewalk, suddenly refusing to walk any further. My legs just wouldn't obey me and it was starting to piss me off. I had been suddenly dumped at the damn work site and now for some reason I couldn't leaving it. That was crap.

I walked around the border of the dig site, each time finding I couldn't leave the boundaries of it. What was this? But before I could think over it too much, the ground began to shake underneath me and a memory overcame everything.

_My heart was everything, my entire world as I sat in the field of flowers, unable to fly any longer. At least the meadow had some pieces of peace to it. But my heart, it was beating. What a joyous sound it made, what a sweet feeling. Even the pain of the miasma leaking out of my chest was nothing next to it. My heart was filled with the sweet joy that I was free, free from Naraku, free from everything. With my heart in my chest, the only person I had to depend on was myself. Larks burst from the tree, spinning as they left, chirping in happiness. _

_The question was where I shall go now. But it didn't matter that much to me. I could go anywhere. I was free. The word was like bliss in my mind. Free. _

_I tried to stand. Surely my body had enough rest now. I was going to enjoy my freedom. There was no response and my fist tightened. Dammit, my body wasn't doing what I wanted it to do. It looked like I would have to enjoy my freedom here for now. It didn't matter too much; it felt like I was floating a cloud. _

_It sure is quiet. But that was obvious of why. Nobody's here with me. Nobody is here to catch me again and tie me down or to help me celebrate my freedom. It was almost bittersweet. The wind blew around me, stirring up the trees, catching blossoms and leaves and throwing them around. _

_Will it end here? I didn't want it to, not right after I had gained my freedom. Just by myself, just like the wind. Resentment rose up. This is…the freedom I was seeking. It was oddly unpleasant without company. But I was never supposed to have company, I was the wind. _

_A footstep crackled in front of me. Hope rose up in my chest as I looked up, instantly crushed by surprise. Sesshomaru? Why was he here? Although it made no sense, I was fine with it. _

"_I came following the scent of Naraku's miasma," he told me. Bitterness rose up and I laughed quietly. Of course. I was insignificant to him, just a pawn that would lead him to Naraku. A part of me hated it but another part was just fine with it. At least it let me be close to him. _

"_Did I disappoint you?" I asked. "That I wasn't Naraku," I felt like laughing again, laughing at the pitiful fate that was mine. I was obsessed with the guy and like a fool came to him for help, expecting it like a princess in a fairy tale. But Sesshomaru was no prince and I was too pathetic for him to help, too weak to get out of my situation by myself. My gaze went back to the ground, certain he would leave now that he had seen I wasn't Naraku._

"_I knew it was you," Sesshomaru's voice informed me. My eyes widened. What? Then why was he here? Despite everything, pure happiness rose up._

"_I see," I whispered, my gaze still at the ground. You came to me knowingly, huh? I held back a bitter smile. Of course I would run to the guy who would realize he actually gave a crap about me when I was dying. It was so ironic. _

_The pain increased in my chest, although it was still unable to destroy my joy. Naraku's miasma was doing its job. I didn't have much longer to enjoy my freedom._

"_You leaving," Sesshomaru asked. If only I could hold on a little longer, to enjoy my life briefly before it ended. There was so much I still wanted to do. _

"_Yeah…soon," I replied. Sesshomaru didn't reply. I felt the wind beginning to whisk away my life. I let the smile come to my face. Everything wasn't that bad. My last wish, which I never thought would happen was. I wished I could tell him but was unable to. At the end…I got to see you. I turned my head up to look at him, to make sure he was still there, that it wasn't dream because of the pain. His face was almost compassionate as the wind finally whisked me away in a calming embrace. My eyes closed softly, happy that I could at least die like this._

_As I fell back into the wind, losing the sense of what was around me, replaced by the desire to travel; I heard a voice whisper, "What is your wish?" I was unable to reply, my last thoughts of Sesshomaru. _

I fell into the dig site with a gasp, the wind swirling around me softly. My breath was uncontrolled, the air somehow not reach my lungs. I was only able to stare at the ground, wondering what the memory was. I had died! I had felt the instant I turned back into the wind, the instant "Kagura" was no longer. And it was absolutely unnerving.

"Kagura?" A voice asked. I recognized it in an instant, my heart beating five times faster. Even this afternoon it hadn't beat this fast. My gaze darted up to look into Sesshomaru's face. Happiness exploded before I realized something was different.

Sesshomaru now was an exact match to the one in the memories. While before he had simply looked similar to the man. He hadn't had the claws or the strange marks on his face earlier, just the silver hair and odd amber eyes. I faintly noticed his ears were more pointy now too. I could only stare.

Why the hell was he at the dig site? I began to scramble away, some of the new consciousness within me helping provoke the run away. At least now I knew why he had been so helpful lately. The ass probably was only helping because he felt guilty that I had died before.

I was caught before I got very far, a hand pulling me to my feet. Sesshomaru was calm, but he seemed almost surprised. I scowled at him, the wind swirling around me.

"What the hell do you want?" I hissed at him. "If your trying to help, don't. I've already learned that if I need help not to come to you!" His eyes narrowed.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he replied. I scoffed in his face, wishing I could shove him away. The wind happily replied, battering him away from me. What the hell? Both of our eyes were suddenly wide. Was the wind obeying me?

_A/N_: Hmmm, the plot thickens. Anyone care to guess what's going to happen next? I don't think I've given enough clues for anyone to guess it though. But I will be very happy if anyone wants to try and guess my madwoman plot. ;) I hoped everyone enjoyed and please review!

_To Lily: _Thanks for the review! Sesshomaru's PoV will show up eventually but right now I want readers to guess what he's thinking. He would reveal a little too much at the moment. As for Inuyasha and Naraku, you'll have to read and find out. Again, I don't want to reveal too much of my lovely, crazily thought out plot.


	5. Why Does My Past Always Bite Me?

_A/N:_ Hi! 'Nother update. Thank you everyone who review! Happy reading!

The Haunting Past

Chapter 5

Why Does My Past Always Come Back To Bite?

As his hand slipped from mine, the wind retreated with my shock, turning around to brush around me in a soft caress. Sesshomaru was tense, his eyes questioning. I was frozen in place, only able to stare at Sesshomaru.

"Can this Sesshomaru assume you can control the wind again, Kagura?" he suddenly asked. I felt myself step away.

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about," I told him. My hand flicked up, clutching something that wasn't there, that was supposed to cover my face. I blinked in surprise at not seeing the fan in my hand. Wait, since when did I have a fan? What the hell was happening to me?

"Why are you here?" he inquired, watching my hand, recognition in his eyes at the gesture. It made me want to take to the sky. This had to be a dream. It had to be.

"Because I felt like taking a walk in the middle of the night, obviously!" I snapped back at him. "Why are you here? Are you stalking me or something?" His eyes narrowed at my response.

"This Sesshomaru doesn't answer to you," he replied firmly.

"And I don't answer to you," I shot back. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be going home," I began to stalk away from him, hoping that I would be able to leave. The earth beneath us began to quiver before I could even reach the sidewalk, almost making me fall. But what I felt next was worse as I began to recognize it.

I shakily turned to Sesshomaru, towards where I felt the most awful thing ever coming. I felt my hand flick automatically, flicking open the fan that was nowhere to be found. Sesshomaru's hand slid down to his side, as if he was going to draw a blade. A _wisp _echoed through the air before the moonlight shone off of blade. Nothing in memory recalled the certain blade.

A part of me wanted to flee and yet a stronger part of me wanted to stand and fight. The wind swirled around me, beckoning me to use it. It was a suddenly a part of me, another extension of me. Somehow I knew this was the closest I had ever been to the element. But I had no time to think about it because the aura I recognized was getting stronger.

Although I was prepared for it, it still scared the hell out of me when the hand punched out of the earth, fingers clenching into a fist. Seconds later, anger drove the wind to that spot, becoming deadly blades to kill the person who was bursting out the earth. The damn bastard was going to die before he could ruin my life again.

Sesshomaru wasn't reacting at all, simply holding his blade and watching the hand coming out. Annoyance rose up. Of course. He didn't help then so why would he help now? He might ruin his hair if he actually did something to help.

And then, as if in slow motion, the ground burst up, dirt flying everywhere. I leaped away, my hand going into a guarding technique that would be if I had my fan. As it was, the wind was lazy to respond.

I could only stare at the man who was prying himself out of the ground, nearly a skeleton. As he began to rise, dirt began to pile to his body, filling in flesh and other features. My body was frozen, unable to move. The only extension of me that could move was the wind.

Sesshomaru darted in front of me, blade still out, protecting me against the one I hated the most. I noticed with a random thought that Sesshomaru had two arms now, instead of one. It was odd but I hardly had time to notice it as a tentacle burst for the man, towards me. Sesshomaru slashed it down without a problem.

"Ku ku ku ku ku," the laugh sent chills down my spine. Sesshomaru's back stiffened ever so slightly. "There's no reason to protect Kagura from me, my dear Sesshomaru,"

Sesshomaru didn't respond, he just sent a blast from his blade at Naraku, sending him away. Before Naraku could react or even get up, he turned to me. I watched his back carefully, almost scared that Naraku would stab him in the back. Sesshomaru reached into his pocket and drew out a single feather.

I felt my eyes widen at the sight of the feather, an exact duplicate of one of the feather I had when I had died. He held it out.

"Get out of here," he ordered me. I continued to stare, seeing Naraku stand and smirk before trying to kill Sesshomaru. In my panic, the wind rushed to behind Sesshomaru, slicing the tentacle, instants before Sesshomaru turned to slice it apart. I decided to take a risk, gathering the wind around me.

"Dance of the Dragons!" I tried to send the attack at him, pretending I had my fan in my hand. What resulted was not pretty, for the wind formed into a tornado around Sesshomaru and I, rather than attacking Naraku. As my annoyance increased, so did the fury of the tornado. I tried to detach myself from the wind, to no avail. I might have well been trying to cut off my arm with a blade of grass.

Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed as he looked at me before he slashed through the wind, destroying the tornado. As the wind dispersed, I looked around, expecting Naraku to attack. He was no where in sight, but the sun suddenly was. I cursed. This was going to be great. I was standing in the middle of the dig site that was going to be full of workers soon, with a great gaping hole in the middle of it because of my tornado.

But I didn't have to worry about it for long, for Sesshomaru suddenly picked me up and instants later, we were in front of my apartment. My eyes were wide in surprise.

"Do you have your keys?" he asked me tensely. I could only nod as he set me down, looking around suspiciously. My hand was trembling as I opened the door, almost dropping the keys. What the hell was going on and why wasn't I that panicked about it?

Sesshomaru swept into my apartment as if the night's events were nothing to be concerned about. I followed less certain, although I think I hid it well. I quickly fled into my kitchen, beginning to make tea for myself, just for something to do and to hide my clear panic. Why was Naraku even alive? He had just sprouted out from the ground like a weed. He should have been dead.

I stirred the sugar into my tea and sipped it uncertainly. Somehow I thought that my touching of the fan was something that would have happened eventually. But had Naraku rose because I had? His presence made my whole week even worse. And where the hell had that bastard disappeared to?

I closed my eyes, ashamed. If I hadn't tried to summon dance of the dragons, he might have not gotten away. And who knew what artifacts I had destroyed with my tornado. I needed answers and I knew someone who obviously had them and a lot to answer for. My hand tightened on my tea mug as I walked out of the kitchen, ready to bombard Sesshomaru with questions.

"Do not worry about it, Naomi. I am just fine without you checking up on me. Simply tell Yuri to cancel all my appointments," Sesshomaru said into the phone he had on his ear. I heard a voice answer, almost in a panicked tone. Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed as he listened.

"That will be all," he said in a tone that made it clear to me that the conversation was over. He hung up the phone before anyone could reply. His eyes were cold by the time he glanced over at me. I beat him to the punch.

"What the hell is going on?" I asked him testily.

"Do you really not know the answer to that question?" he replied icily. I growled under my breath.

"Why is that bastard alive?" I inquired. I sat down on my couch. Sesshomaru stayed standing, watching my every move.

"Is your past clear?" he responded.

"Why does it matter?" I shot back. How I could have ever thought I liked this guy was a mystery to me. It must have been a part of my imagination that resulted from being controlled by Naraku.

"You seem to remember this Sesshomaru and Naraku," he said coldly. I looked down at my tea, watching my reflection in it. My red eyes widened as I noticed my ears. They were as pointed as Sesshomaru's now. My head jerked up.

"I don't see why you care!" I hissed. "You never cared about what happened to me before so why do you care now?" Sesshomaru's face lost its composure ever so slightly.

"This Sesshomaru simply needs your help to defeat Naraku," he replied, his words coming slowly, as if carefully chosen.

"Whatever," I grumbled before a thought occurred to me. "Why did you have my feather?" Suspicion came into my tone. Sesshomaru didn't respond.

"It would be preferred if you'd wait to get a fan before you attempt to control the wind again," he told me. Was he seriously changing the subject on me like that?

"You didn't answer my question!" I accused him. He gave me a flat stare.

"I don't answer to you," he informed me. I scoffed. It wasn't as if he even cared about me so why did he have my feather. And was he the Sesshomaru I knew or simply a reincarnation? But if he was a reincarnation, how would he have my feather? It was odd enough that he had it in the first place. Unless, he actually did feel bad about my death and it was guilt that drove him to keep it. If that was the case, however, why hadn't he throw it away when Naraku had been killed? The only logical reason for it would be that he actually did care about what happened to me. It couldn't be, though, I couldn't see Sesshomaru as the type to care for anyone but himself.

I sank into my couch, my eyes directed once again at my tea. "Do you know why Naraku is alive or not?" I murmured, still in thought. In any case, why would Sesshomaru have cause to care? Why had he tried to protect me from Naraku this time? Was it because I had been defenseless or was there another reason?

"I believe it to be the cause of the Sacred Jewel," he responded. I closed my eyes. The jewel was getting to be annoying, always causing problems for me. I stood up and walked towards my door. If it was the jewel's fault, then Naraku wasn't going to just leave me alone. The bastard didn't have my heart in his hand this time and he wouldn't be able to stop me from killing him this time. He would never take away my freedom again. Even indoors, the wind collected to me, swirling around slowly.

"Where do you think your going?" Sesshomaru asked. I turned to him, my eyes burning in hatred.

"What do you think?! I'm going to go find that bastard and kill him!" I snapped. He walked over to stand in front of the door so I wouldn't be able to leave.

"Don't rush into things so blindly," Sesshomaru warned. I held back a scoff, not wanting to anger him.

"Right because I've always been so careful," I replied sarcastically. He obviously didn't think it was that funny.

"Your stupidity is the reason Naraku was able to kill you before," he informed me. I rolled my eyes.

"Actually, I think he was able to kill me because he had my heart in his hands," I snorted. "Now will you move?" I tried to ask as politely as I could, which wasn't very politely.

"You still have a job that you are responsible for," he berated. "I will not let you put Myoga behind in work. You are to go to my office and begin working on the papers. Naraku will not dare to attack you there," I could only stare. Right, I had work to do and yet he had cancelled all his work for today. He was probably going to go hunt down Naraku the instant I left.

"No way in hell," I told him. "I'm not the only one with a job. I'm not going in to work unless you do, too," His gaze was ice.

"I have already taken care of my work," he informed me. I smirked and walked over to pick up my phone.

"Two can play at that. I'll I have to do is call Myoga," I mocked, beginning to dial my boss's number. Sesshomaru walked over to hang up the phone, taking it from my hand.

"Myoga will listen to this Sesshomaru if he tells him not to give you the day off," he snidely said. My lips tightened but I wasn't about to give up.

"Then I'll quit," I told him, hoping it wouldn't lead to that. But then again, it wouldn't be such a bad thing. I could still explore the world, still have my freedom that Naraku so rudely took away. Sesshomaru's coldness sharpened into a bone-chilling glare. In a way it scared me for I had never seen it before, however, it was his fault I was even in this situation so he could bite me.

"It is not your responsibility to kill Naraku," he droned. "I will take care of the pest," I laughed in my throat.

"So I'm supposed to wait for him to come and kill me or whatever? Yeah right. I waited on you to help save me before and I'm not making that mistake again!" Sesshomaru stiffened but stepped away from the door. I stalked away, ignoring him. I didn't need his help to kill Naraku and I refused to ask for it ever again.

_A/N:_ Happy plotline! I love it! This is going to be so much fun. I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter and I'll update by next week.


	6. The Hunt Begins

_A/N:_ HI! Sorry it took me so long to update! Thank you to everyone who reviewed and enjoy!

The Haunting Past

Chapter 6

The Hunt Begins

I made it to the elevator before Sesshomaru rushed after me, holding the door open so he could slide through. I glared at him and slouched into the nearest corner, expecting him to leave the elevator when we reached the bottom. But instead he walked over to the corner near the floor buttons, waited for the doors to close and then hit the stop elevator button. My teeth ground together as he did.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" I screamed at him. He was completely calm.

"It would be foolish to go out on the streets looking as you do," he murmured. My anger vanished for a second as I thought about it. I looked as weird as he did. But it wasn't as though I could hide that type of thing.

"And what do you suggest I do about that?" I asked icily. He gave me a look that said I was an idiot.

"Perhaps if you listened to this Sesshomaru you will know," he replied, just as cold. I growled silently in my throat.

"Fine," I snapped at him. "_Please_ share what I'm supposed to do," He stared at me flatly. So what if my tone hadn't been polite when I had said it? I sighed. "Please," I repeated, this time not letting my annoyance show.

"Only if you go to this Sesshomaru's office and not go chase after Naraku," he told me calmly. My lips pressed together. I didn't need to know it that bad.

"Yeah right. I told you before; I'm not letting that bastard ruin my life again. And since I'm the only person who cares enough to go kill him it's up to me to insure he doesn't," I replied.

I walked over to the buttons and pressed the stop button again, all the while glaring at Sesshomaru, daring him silently to press it again. I rapidly pressed my floor. He was right about one thing, I couldn't go outside like this. I could always pass of the eyes but the ears and the wind were suddenly a problem.

The elevator quickly opened as we had never left my floor. I brushed by Sesshomaru to get out. He caught my arm, something to say on his lips. But something stopped him from doing so. One second he was clinging onto my arm, the next he was across the elevator, watching as the door slid shut behind me. I stared at the closed doors for a few minutes afterwards, confused.

I shook it off and went back to my apartment so I could look in a mirror. My eyes would be okay as I could pass them off as colored contacts. As for my ears, having my hair down would help hide them, although I hated it. I never was happy having my hair down, although I know now why. I didn't want my hair down until I was entirely free. But if it meant blending in, I would do so. If only I knew Sesshomaru's secret of hiding his weird traits.

I started to play around with my hair, trying to put as much of it up as possible. In the end, one-fourth of it was up while the rest was down. How it bugged me.

When done, I quickly changed into a plain pair of jeans and a red t-shirt. It would be comfortable enough to go hunt down Naraku in. It made me glad that I didn't have to go to work at Sesshomaru's office where I would have to cram myself into uncomfortable 'fancy' clothes, including heels.

As I headed out the door, I thought about where Naraku could possibly be. There were only two possibilities that I could think of. Either he had gone into hiding at the sight of Sesshomaru or he was somewhere waiting to go after me again. The bastard obviously couldn't be happy unless he was annoying someone, especially me.

But if I was him, I would be going after those who killed me. And that had obviously been Inuyasha and his motley crew, along with Sesshomaru. Too bad for him that they had been dead for hundreds of years, all of them except Sesshomaru. This wasn't helping.

I walked out of my apartment and into the elevator. First things first, I would have to check the dig site after Myoga and his employees had left for the day. Other than that, maybe I would check where Onigumo's cave had been. Or possibly still was.

Hopefully when I found him, I would be able to defeat him without my fan. A part of me wanted to have Sesshomaru by my side but refused to depend on him again. I had tried that already and it had failed. I pressed the button to go to the bottom floor. I could always buy a new fan and hope it worked. At least it would be better than nothing.

I bumped into my apartment's manager as I walked out of the elevator. He jumped in surprise, almost dropping the box in his hands.

"Oh, Kagura!" he exclaimed. "I was just about to go up to your apartment. One of the gentlemen who help last night delivered it just few seconds ago," Before I could ask what it was, he handed me a box which I rapidly opened. My heart skipped a beat as I looked at my fan. I found myself rushing out the door with it in my hand. Where the hell was Sesshomaru?

I recognized his back, walking down the street swiftly. I ran after him, catching his shoulder. He turned around, not surprised in the least. I pulled him to the side of the street, keeping out of the flow of traffic. I waved my fan in his face.

"How the hell did you get this?" I demanded. He didn't seem phased. "Why the hell did you have it?"

"This Sesshomaru doesn't have to answer to you," he replied. I growled under my breath.

"You haven't changed at all, you know that?" I asked him. He began to walk away. I caught his shoulder again.

"Where are you going to look for him?" I inquired.

"Didn't you wish to find him on your own?" he asked me dryly. I crossed my arms and glared.

"Whatever," I hissed and walked away. Sesshomaru's footsteps sounded behind me. I stopped and turned around. "What are you doing?"

"This Sesshomaru is going to find Inuyasha and Kagome to inform them Naraku is back," he replied.

"What?" I asked in shock. "How are they alive?" He looked at me like I was stupid.

"Kagome is from this time period," he informed me. I bit my lip. Kagome was from this time period? That explained quite a bit. Perhaps Naraku would go for them after all, if he knew she was from the future as well. But I wasn't going to follow Sesshomaru to check my theory. Since Inuyasha and Kagome knew of Onigumo's cave, they would probably go there and then I could laugh in Sesshomaru's face.

"Have fun," I mocked as I stalked in the other direction. It took me a few minutes to get to the cave. Miraculously, it was still there after all these years. I held my fan tightly, nervous as I walked inside.

The inside of the cave was cool and crisp with the slightest smell of mildew. In the very darkest corners of the cave, it was pitch black but most of it was lit up by the sun. It was also very empty and quiet. I felt my heart sink. Naraku wasn't here, probably hadn't even thought about appearing here. And I had thought that it was surely the place he would have shown up at.

I grimaced and walked out. Maybe he had fled to one of his old castles or something. Anything. How the hell was I going to find him? He was a very good hider when he didn't want to be found. Such were the attributes of a great coward, just like him. It would have been smarter to follow Sesshomaru but I couldn't do it. I wouldn't do it.

I sat down in the entrance of the cave and looked out to the city. The only advantage I had was I knew the world of today, rather than then just the world of hundreds of years ago. As if that was going to help me at all. I could only just wait for Naraku to come find me, come snatch me up without fail.

The wind blew around me softly, sharing in my despair. If only I was still a part of the wind, it would have been easier to find Naraku. That gave me an idea. I began to try to become part of the wind, as I had been before, to no avail. It was as if because I had a physical form I couldn't change physical forms.

I eventually gave up, sighing heavily, one hand at my brow. I flicked open my fan with some difficultly. I closed it, also with much difficultly, my temper rising. It used to be so easy and smooth to use. The years must have been catching up with it. Unfortunately, it couldn't be fixed like door hinges with a little oil or something. My whole life before seemed to be nothing but a relic now, both my fan and my memory. I threw the fan to the ground beside me with a clatter.

I resisted the urge to pick up the fan again and throw it as far away as possible. I had a feeling I would regret it if I did later. My life before was crap and it hadn't changed very much now, with or without Naraku's influence. Why could my life never be plain and simple?

"You found your fan hmmm, my dear?" Naraku's voice floated from behind me, in the cave. I grabbed my fan in an instant, whipping around to stare at the man hiding in the deepest shadows of the cave. But he was nowhere to be found.

"Where are you, you damn coward?!" I screamed at him. My only reply was his laughing. I opened my fan, the wind coming to its call. I was already sick of this. If he was in there, I would just make the stupid roof of the cave collapse on his head and hopefully bury him.

Then I saw the eyes at the edge of the cave, glowing lightly. I stood up and took a few steps into the cave, my heart beating like a hammer. I began to see the shape of a man leaning up against the walls, accompanied by the slightly glowing eyes. The hairs on the back of my neck slowly began to rise as I realized that I was alone with Naraku.

The wind swirled around me, becoming fiercer. I took strength from it. "Dance of Blades!" Naraku didn't even move as the wind struck his chest. It reminded me of the one time I had hit him with wind blades once before. They had done nothing but shred some of his clothes. He was probably expecting the same thing, as was the despaired part of me.

Then he was wincing in pain, streaks of blood running down his chest in the dark. Anger now filled the eyes as Naraku took a step into the light. My eyes narrowed and I hit him with more wind blades. If it could hurt him, it could damn well kill him as well.

A tentacle shot by me, missing me by a few inches. Before it could turn around, I used wind blades to slice it off of Naraku's body. All that did was make him sent more at me, until I was overwhelmed by the bastard, his laughing now filling the cave.

"Time to return to me," he mocked. I gathered the wind around me long enough to shove him away so I could dive out of the cave, hitting the grass nearby painfully. At least out in the open I had a better chance against him.

The tentacles followed, shooting out the cave after me. I leaped away from them and sent more wind blades at them, slicing them away from Naraku. But it didn't seem to matter because they continued to come at me. I jumped away yet again. One of them grabbed my ankle, pulling me to the ground. All of them began to descend upon me at once. The wind formed a barrier around me. I could only hope it would last.

_A/N:_ Evil cliffy! Ha ha. Not really, I'm not that mean. Usually. I hope everyone enjoyed! Go check out my new story intitled _Disturbing Ma'at_. Please! It has Sess+Kagu+Egypt=happy and inspired author...


	7. Signs That Show You're Having a Bad Day

_A/N:_ Hi! First off, I am so so so so so so sorry I haven't updated this story in forever. My muse to write it just wasn't around for the longest time, partially because I wasn't quite sure what to continue with. Hopefully my muse stays for a while this time, though. I hope you guys enjoy!

The Haunting Past

Chapter 7

Signs That Show You're Having a Bad Day

"Ku ku ku ku," Naraku laughed, my barrier wavering against his attacks. My teeth gritted together. I wasn't going to just let myself get killed by the bastard. But if I tried to attack him, my barreir would simply fade away. I didn't have any attacks presently that would even allow me to destroy his attack or to even defend myself.

Something suddenly slashed through the tentacles above me, making them fly in several directions. My eyes widened but I turned to stare at Naraku, preparing to attack him again. He was frozen, eyes angry.

I turned to where the attack that had come from and felt my heart stop in surprise. A young kid stood there, supporting an old fashioned spear. It took me a second to realize it was none other than Hakudoshi. Why the hell was he alive?

I heard Naraku laugh nervously. "Hakudoshi," he said smoothly, "How nice to see you," He was suddenly smiling evilly. Hakudoshi smirked back at him.

"It won't be for very long," Hakudoshi assured him. Naraku's eyes narrowed.

My lips pursed. Naraku was obviously distracted. It was a perfect time to strike. "Dance of Blades!"

Naraku stared at the blades, disbelief in his eyes before he very carefully avoided each and everyone. Hakudoshi grinned at me, and I felt a wave of anger. Just because I wasn't attacking the little brat currently didn't mean that I didn't still hate him. I would still be delighted to kill him for trying to kill me anytime.

Tentacles sprung from Naraku and headed towards both Hakudoshi and I. A few wind blades plucked the ones coming for me out of the air, to hit the ground with a _thump_. Naraku's eyes were suddenly cautious, an emotion I quickly realized as the one he show right before he fled the scene. My grip tightened on my fan.

A flash of black appeared in my line of vision, attacking Naraku. A spurt of red followed it as Seshomaru landed nearby. Tentacles sprang from Naraku once again. What was the coward trying to do now? I smiled in anticipation. Naraku would be dead for good very soon.

Between the three of us, it took only moments to slash down the pieces of flesh from the air. But when it cleared, the bastard was completely gone, Onigumo's cave in rubble.

"Dammit," I growled. The wind whisked around me angrily. Where the hell had Naraku ran off to?

Sesshomaru stared at the rubbled cave for an instant before his eyes flicked to me, scanning my whole body as if he was unsure if I was okay. My temper continued to flare. Hadn't I already told him I didn't need his help? But in the next instant, he noticed Hakudoshi, his eyes narrowing.

"You were part of Naraku's heart," he said, his tone slightly questioning, blade at the ready. Hakudoshi smirked.

"And what of it?" Hakudoshi mocked. "I'm not here to harm that pitiful woman," he gestured with his spear towards me.

"Take care not to get in my way," Sesshomaru warned. Hakudoshi laughed slightly.

"Do I look that dumb?" he inqired. Sesshomaru sent him an icy look before walking over to me.

"You're bleeding," he informed me coldly. I glared at him and touched my cheek where his eyes were directed. My touch stung and my fingers came away with light droplets of blood. I cursed under my breath and shut my fan. A loud _snap_ made me look down and I realized with a sickening feeling that the fan had just snapped in two.

Sesshomaru took the pieces out of my hand and looked them over before I could. My mind was frozen in shock. So much for having a weapon I could use against Naraku. I yanked the pieces of fan from Sesshomaru and looked at it.

It was cleanly broken in the middle to a point where it could be glued to one position but for my purposes, it was completely useless. I lifted my arm to throw it at the ground, completely frustrated with everything at this point in time. Sesshomaru took it from me before I could.

"My foolish brother and his priestess aren't around and that coward won't dare show himself again today. We shall go to my home," Sesshomaru informed me. I scoffed at him.

"Don't tell me what to do," I hissed at him. "I'll do whatever I damn well please," His eyes were suddenly a golden fire. But I didn't care. I had followed orders for more than long enough and I was sick of it.

Hakudoshi laughed. "Not that I'm not enjoying this but I need to go. I'll find you if I find Naraku," he said slyly. I glared at him.

"I'm going to go find that bastard," I replied and began to stalk away. Hakudoshi laughed again and walked in a different direction. I ignored him. I didn't need either of them to kill the bastard who seemed intent on ruining my life once again.

Someone caught my arm, making it so I was unable to escape their grasp. I turned to snap at them to let go, the person I knew to be Sesshomaru when I began to be drug backwards.

"What the hell?" I screamed. The dragging stopped and I turned. Sesshomaru's face was calm, uncaring, like I was nothing more than a rag doll he was intent on protecting.

"This Sesshomaru will not allow you to fall for Naraku's trap once again," he informed me, his tone an artic blizzard. I tried to yank away before summoning the wind and throwing it with all my might at him. The only thing it did was blow his hair back in a gust.

"That's my decision to make, you dumb dog!" I shrieked. His face didn't change and I was being dragged once again. I tried to pull away again to no avail except to make him stop once again. If I was going to get away from him, it wouldn't be with my damn arm obviously. "I can walk by myself," I hissed.

"Then do so," he replied calmly, his grip not loosening a bit. I bit my lip angrily. I needed to get away, to trick him somehow. There was no way in hell I was going to go anywhere with him.

"Will you be content if I go to your damn office and work on Myoga's paperwork?" I inquired. His gaze was unreadable.

"This Sesshomaru does not trust you to go there and stay put," he toned calmly. My gaze narrowed. What the hell was his problem today? One minute he wanted me to go into the office and the next he didn't trust me to stay there? I pounded on his arm furiously. He didn't even react, to my disapproval.

A wicked smile came to my lips as a thought occurred to me. If violence didn't affect him in the least, I had an idea of what would. It might be fun to actually see the ice cube shaken up a little bit.

I took a step towards Sesshomaru, a falsely angelic smile on my lips. "Now that hurts," I purred. "Is there a reason you don't trust me?" His eyes narrowed in suspicion and I moved closer to put my head on his shoulder, staring up at him, still trying to be as angelic as possible. To my surprise, he didn't pull away, just used the position we were in to pick me up.

My acting shattered into a million pieces in shock. Why wasn't he acting like I thought he would? The guy obviously wasn't used to any sort of affection so how could he still be so calm? I struggled in his grasp, trying to get away. He was as infuriting as he had always been, except now he was too helpful instead of anti-helpful.

I was still struggling, trying to get away from Sesshomaru when we reached his car. As before, at his office, I was thrown into the passager side and shut in before I could run. He appeared in the car on the driver's side. I looked away from him, half-angry, half-pouting. There was no reason why that shouldn't have caught him off guard so why didn't it? Damn dog!

"Put on your seatbelt," Sesshomaru ordered. I didn't bother to argue, just snapped it on. I already knew I wasn't going to win this fight. Silence filled the car like an empty hole. I stared out the window, trying my best to ignore him.

A few minutes later we reached our destination and the car stopped. The only thing I glimpsed was a fancy house. It figured. Sesshomaru killed the ignition but yet he didn't exit the car. I heard him start to say something but it didn't seem to want to come out and I heard his door open. Within seconds he was outside my door, opening it slowly. I simply glared at him with all my might.

"This Sesshomaru is not in the mood to argue with you, witch," he told me. I smirked.

"Too bad. I'm in the mood to argue with you, doggie," I snapped back at him. Sesshomaru didn't react.

"Do what you wish," he answered. "This Sesshomaru will be inside when you decide to come in," With that, he walked away. I stared at his back, still sore from before. I sighed angrily and followed him. If he was one to ever show any emotion he would have probably been smirking.

I followed him to the door, which he opened slowly, waiting for me to enter. I did so, wondering what he was plotting.

One word came into my head to describe the hall we walked into, rich. It surprised me in a way. I wouldn't have taken Sesshomaru to be someone who collected pricy items. None of my memories even recalled him carrying around any more possessions than necessary. But it was all junk to me.

Sesshomaru brushed past me, heading for what seemed to be the living room. I took one last look at my surroundings and followed, my resistance disappearing. Even though he had much too much stuff, somehow it was rather comfortable inside, subtly speaking of Sesshomaru.

"Lord Sesshomaru!" a little voice cried. My mind stopped for a moment. It sounded like Rin but she was probably long dead. I turned to where the voice came from and saw a young girl rush to Sesshomaru, hugging his legs tightly. He looked down, a touch of compassion in his eyes, although it was very well hidden. When the girl turned around, I felt my eyes widen. The face was almost an exact match to Rin's.

Sesshomaru took in my face and slowly seperated himself from the girl. "Naomi, go find Jaken," hed ordered. She nodded slowly, gave me one last look and skipped off. "She is Rin and Kohaku's descendent," he informed me quietly. Rin and Kohaku? So they had gotten together, had they? They had both been good kids.

"Hmmm," I said. "Are you planning on telling me why I had to come with you?" He gave me a cold stare.

"This Sesshomaru did not want you to go chase after Naraku and get killed again," he informed me. I sighed and sat down in the nearest chair, my sarcasism firing up.

"That almost sounded like you actually gave a crap about what happens to me. Whats wrong, have you actually melted a little bit over all these years?" I mocked. He didn't reply, just stared at me, emotionless.

"Do not presume you know me, Kagura," he told me finally. My eyes narrowed. "Stay there," he ordered before he walked away. My eyes followed him but I stayed put. Something was very different about him, not just that he was slightly warmer than an ice cube now but I couldn't seem to quite put my finger on it.

_A/N:_ Whatcha think? Next chapter, we have some Kagura and Sesshomaru happy time and Kagura trys to figure out what's going on. I'll update soon, I promise. ;)


	8. Don't Think I Won't Find Out

_**A/N:**_ Wow. I really didn't think I would get enough to inspiration to finish this story, which is kinda obvious since I discontinued it for what I thought to be forever last week. But guess what? My muse for this story finally returned after I watched _Pretty Woman_. Weird movie to make it come back but whatever. I'm just glad I don't have it in me to be one of those disappointing writers who start a story and just don't finish. You guys have no idea how much that would bug me in the end. Anyways, I hope everyone enjoys!

The Haunting Past,

Chapter 8

Don't Think I Won't Find Out

I sank into the chair that I sat in, making myself completely comfortable as I waited for him to return. My eyes gazed around me, taking in the details of my surroundings although none stayed in my head very long. The only thing that caught my attention for even the smallest bit of time was a handmade pot that sat on a shelf, one thing that did not fit in at all in this environment. I wondered if the little girl, Naomi had been the one to make it.

Sesshomaru returned a few moments later, his face carefully composed. The hint of difference in his attitude between now and then was completely gone, making me wonder what it was or if it had been completely my imagination. I couldn't imagine the Sesshomaru I knew to soften up at all, even if he was racked with unneeded guilt over my death.

He stood against the nearest wall, looking at me without any expression in the least, just watching. I looked away from him, staring at the entry hall instead, feeling awkward. His silence had always bugged me, however. I couldn't imagine how that would have changed.

"Do you know why this is going on?" I inquired softly, finally breaking the silence and directing my gaze at him. I doubted I would get an answer but it was worth a try to ask him.

"I believe it has to do with the Shikon Jewel," he replied, tone cold. I frowned.

"Why does the Jewel have anything to do with this?" I shot back, confused. Sesshomaru didn't answer, his gaze shooting to my face.

"This Sesshomaru thought you would know," he replied calmly. I scoffed loudly.

"Why the hell would I know such a thing, you idiot?" I hissed at him. "I didn't remember a damn thing about my past life until this morning!" His face, as always, didn't change the least.

"There is no need to get snippy with this Sesshomaru," he told me. I crossed my arms over my chest and exhaled loudly.

"Whatever," I grumbled. "How long are you going to keep me captive here?" I hoped it wouldn't be long, not when the little brat was out there, hunting the man I wanted to kill the most.

"Until Naraku is once again dead," he replied. My temper rose up at the idea of it but I quickly hid it with a sigh.

"And after that, you'll never bother me again?" I asked, the sharpness coming into my tone. He didn't reply, just avoided my gaze ever so slightly. The man made no sense in the least! First, he is almost happy to see me gone, only coming to find me at my death and suddenly he wouldn't leave me alone. "Are you going to answer me?"

His eyes suddenly locked with mine. "If you wish it," he replied simply. Something in his eyes made me think he was lying.

"Why wouldn't I, puppy?" I snapped. His eyes blazed with annoyance for a moment before it was gone. I ignored it and continued. "All I've ever wanted is my freedom and I will have it, no matter what. I've been held down long enough,"

"It will be harder to do so now, witch," he told me. I shrugged it off.

"So what? As long as its possible, nothing else will stop me from taking my freedom," I challenged. "But I'm sure you don't understand. You've always had your freedom, letting you do what you wish, letting you wander around the lands without any goals except growing stronger," He was once again silent.

I was ready to force him into a discussion when Jaken walked in, looking no different than he always had. It surprised me that he could walk around as he did in this day and age. The little toad's eyes widened when he saw me and not in a good way. "K-k-Kagura?" he stuttered, his minute arm rising to point at me. "Why are you here?"

I couldn't help but to smirk at him. "Hello, toady," I purred. "Did you miss me?" He fell backwards, eyes wide before he looked Sesshomaru.

"Why is that witch here?" he demanded, not at all sounding like he wasn't the dog demon's equal. Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed at it and he stalked over to kick the imp before he left the room entirely, swirls in Jaken's eyes. I rose to my feet and followed Sesshomaru, curious.

We ended up in a secluded room that was carefully hidden behind a modern office. The ancient tapestries perked my interest, as well as the blades in the middle of the room. I recognized his blades from earlier today there, along with the one that I recognize to be Inuyasha's sword.

"Why do you have the doggie's sword?" I inquired. The dog demon turned around, looking slightly surprised that I had followed him into his precious secret room. "Is he still alive?"

"Inuyasha died over two hundred years ago," he replied. "Half-demons don't live as long," An unknown emotion flickered in his eyes, although I wasn't clever enough to recognize it( pity?, sadness?, anger?). In any case, it the emotion made it quiet clear that subject was off-limits, which was a pity, in my eyes.

The old relics that I recognized made me suddenly feel a little… homesick or something close to it. Although I had been under Naraku's grasp, the world at that time had seemed so much bigger, more wondrous. It had been some much more free. There had been no need to work or anything else to survive. The world had changed so much in that time. My mind went to the fact that Kagome had been from this time. Could there be a way from me to escape into the past, to where the world was so much freer?

My gaze went to Sesshomaru who was still looking at the contents of the room the same way. But if there was a way to get to the past, he would have already tried it, I was sure. There was no way for me to escape this time period if he, of all people, couldn't. A sigh escaped my lips. I was very obviously stuck in this world of barriers, no matter what and in a way, I hated it so much.

.

I sat on a cushy chair in Sesshomaru's office, watching him work like a little worker bee. His appearance was the same as when I had first met him in this time period, dressed in one of those horrible monkey suits. My appearance was once again normal. The man had done something to my appearance to make it non-demonic but I had no clue in the least of what it had been, not would he tell me. I supposed it was just another thing he was using to insure I didn't run away from him at the first chance I had.

It was rather boring just sitting there and watching him but yet there was nothing else to do. The man was probably some sort of compulsive workaholic, not needing anything else to entertain him, not even a T.V. The greatest pity of it all was that I didn't have my fan to play with for hours, to manipulate the wind this way and that. I had tried to annoy him several times, to no avail. I was simply ignored completely.

The phone began to ring, shrill in my sensitive ears. He didn't seem to notice, something I couldn't understand. He was a freaking dog demon so why the hell did he not notice something so annoying? Finally, he reached over and picked it up in a rather offhanded manner, eyes never leaving what he was working on.

A light squawking came out of the phone, Sesshomaru answering with one word more often than not. I couldn't decipher what the person on the phone was even saying, making my listening useless. Nor did the ice man's expression change in the least. I scowled at the ground, my ears straining to ear.

"Very well," Sesshomaru told the person on the phone, his eyes finally leaving his paperwork to stare at me as he put the phone down. The look in his eyes made me nervous, as if he was appraising me.

"What is it?" I asked him, slightly irritated at his gaze.

"This Sesshomaru had to go to a party to go to tonight," he told me. I smirked.

"How fun with that," I mocked. "Will the imp be on guard for me tonight?" He didn't seem to think my comments entertaining in the least.

"You will be coming with me," he told me calmly. "It is an event for couples," I scoffed.

"It is already bad enough that I have to deal with you," I hissed. "I'm not dealing with some stupid high class snobs, too. Why don't you take your dear assistant with you? She's such a bundle of joy," He leaned up against his chair, something that looked an awful like amusement in his eyes.

"Naomi will not do for this event," Sesshomaru said calmly. "In addition, I do not trust you not to escape when I leave," I rolled my eyes.

"I have no intentions of going anywhere when you leave," I lied to him. As if I would stay where he wanted me to be, I hadn't done it when my life was at stake so why would that change now?

"It was not a request, Kagura," he told me. I grimaced. He was crazy if he thought I was going to obey him. The only reason I had done so before was because he was my one hope of escaping Naraku. That was it, nothing else. He had been my pawn, no matter how much I had wanted to see him at the end, no matter how much…I cut off my thoughts there, not wanting to know the rest.

"Oh, and are you going to force me into going?" I mocked, guessing that he wouldn't do such a thing. I doubted he cared enough to do that. His gaze became flat.

"Do not presume you can bandy words with me," he growled. A smile rose to my lips at that.

"If I do go with you, what do I get from it?" I inquired cunningly. "Its sure as hell not going to be the comfort of your company," I let a smile come to my face.

"What do you want from this Sesshomaru?" he asked cautiously. My smile became a grin.

"If I go, I get some freedom until Naraku is dead without you acting like a stupid guard dog," I replied. He didn't seem to like the dog reference but seemed to consider it anyways.

"Very well," he finally said. In a way, it surprised me that he had given in so easily. I would have thought he would be the type to argue or just plain deny the idea, to just shut it down immediately. But yet, here he was, accepting without a large hint of thought behind it. So I decided to get all I could out of his usual good mood.

"I'll need a dress and some jewelry," I purred at him. He didn't say a word, just gestured for me to follow and rose from his desk. That made me frown, confused. I thought I would get to drag him shopping but that suddenly didn't seem like the solution. My heart almost stopped in surprise when he lead me to a room filled with fancy dresses, like his own little dress store.

"Choose what you wish," he told me rather coldly. "We will leave in an hour," With that, he left, leaving me staring at his back in surprise. When the door shut behind him, I was left to stare at his dress collection, wondering what the hell I had gotten myself into.

_**A/N:**_ Yeah, it's a little bit on the shorter side but I wanted to update. Next chapter will be up in two weeks and should be longer. I've decided that I want each chapter to be at least 4000 words, which is why updates will now be every two weeks. DM and this story will start this week and my new story involving One Piece come in between or next week. In any case, thank you for reading and have a happy New Year!


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